Between February and June 2019, Durrington Youth Group worked alongside Create Studios and English Heritage Stonehenge experts to explore and debate the unique history (and prehistory!) of Stonehenge. The result is ‘Our Stones’, a short film. An insightful and creative response to their time spent at one of the most famous and beautiful heritage sites in the world.
Over 14 sessions we explored the history of the Stones, visited the site for a tour and looked at examples of graffiti on the stones, to help us decide what story we wanted to tell. Ultimately, we decided to focus on the communities personal memories of Stonehenge.
Based on this theme, we worked closely with filmmakers from Create Studios to interview local people about their memories of the site. The project was supported by the parish and local district council, and we got the chance to interview some local councillors.
After learning from Create Studios how to edit the video we shot, including the interviews, we turned the footage into the final film.
Reflecting on the project afterwards, everyone felt that throughout the project everyone had their voice heard and that everyone had been able to influence decisions.
Everyone involved learnt about film-making and developed interviewing skills, but also became more confident in making creative decisions.
At the end of the project, everyone said that they felt a real sense of achievement and thought that getting to visit the stone circle with their friends was a real highlight.
